Pear Shapes And Water Bottles

I’ve never considered myself an artist.

The most generous among you would say that I am an artist with words and I would thank you politely while struggling somewhat to accept the compliment. In this case, though, I’m referring to visual art.

I do have some artistic talent. I can draw a fairly straight line without a ruler, for instance, and I know a little about the use of coloring, shadow and perspective. My drawings are usually close enough to the image in my head that someone else would be able to tell what I intended without having to ask.

Earlier this summer, I started drawing pictures for E’s water bottles for camp, just as T and I did last year. The practice, which my coworker describes as “quintessentially campy” is a multi-step process. I freeze water bottles overnight, thaw them a bit in the morning, wrap them in paper towels and then aluminum foil and then tape the drawing on last. It’s a bit inside baseball, but the idea is that the ice is thawed enough so E can drink the water but not too much that it gets warm. The paper towel absorbs the water that drips off and the foil keeps the bottle cold during the day.

The frozen water bottle is nice – we’d send him with one no matter what – but it’s the drawings that he loves.

I started the summer off with Pikachu, much to E’s excitement. I’ve covered a number of different genres since then, including other Pokémon, superheroes, sports and Disney characters. Some drawings have been better quality than others, depending on which markers I use, the type of image I choose and the time of day when I draw them.¹

I try to be aware of the images I choose and of the messages that each one represents to an impressionable six-year-old like E. I try not to draw too many superheroes consecutively, for instance, because I want E to remember that we are encouraging him to celebrate diversity. The drawings tend to weigh heavily in favor of male characters – Captain America, Batman, the Joker – largely because of the selection and because those are the people that E would recognize. But it’s for that very reason that I try to sprinkle in other non-traditional “boyish” characters. I’d consider the Cubs logo, Mario, Peter Pan and Chewbacca to be more androgynous in terms of their gender associations.

I’ve also made efforts to include specifically female sketches and other characters usually connected to girls. Rainbow Dash and Midnight Sparkle from My Little Pony were the first, followed by later appearances from Wonder Woman and Tinkerbell. I was fairly pleased with the way each one turned out, but even more so with E’s thrilled smile at seeing each one.

That being said, since I can’t seem to do anything without wearing social worker glasses, I still felt uncomfortable with the drawings of women. I found myself thinking of the ways that E might internalize messages about the “ideal” body type for women. It’s one of the reasons I chose that specific Wonder Woman image; she’s demonstrating strength without being too obviously sexualized, a rare occurrence for portrayals of female superheroes. Plus, her physical features aren’t quite as accentuated in that image (if you overlook the fact that I gave her a waistline that would make Barbie envious).² I’ll admit, in fact, that I liked my Wonder Woman drawing more than Tinkerbell for exactly these reasons.

I realize, of course, that E probably isn’t conscious of these concepts yet. Aside from a few exceptions – skin color, facial features, maybe slight differences in body type – kids his age generally all look the same. I’m hoping we still have some time before he starts worrying about bicep circumference and six-pack abs, not to mention choosing associations with peers solely based on physical appearance. Still, even if those conversations are years away, I worry sometimes that he’ll grow up thinking that sexuality and physical attributes are the only things of value that women have to offer.

In the meantime, I’m pleased to say that my drawing has improved as the summer has progressed. As one of my coworkers noted, “it’s no longer amateur hour;” I’ve moved on from logos to actual characters with faces. So, even if the underlying messages about encouraging E’s varied interests and promoting positive body image fly farther under the radar, he’ll at least be able to learn about consistency and the results of ongoing practice.³And, if not, at least he’ll enjoy the pretty pictures.

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^{1. I put much more effort into drawings the night before. The morning drawings are usually rush jobs so I go for simpler images to sketch. (See if you can guess which are which.)↩}

^{2. A friend told me she was thrilled to see a “pear-shaped” Wonder Woman because so many female superheroes and other “powerful” women are idealized with hourglass figures.↩}

^{3. Assuming, of course, that he hasn’t already learned that from going to school, playing baseball, taking swimming lessons, the fact that I write this blog…↩}